..::Football III::..

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Van Gaal celebrates Derby win with a bottle of expensive wine

Louis van Gaal made the choice to celebrate Manchester United's 3-1 FA Cup win over Derby County on Friday by drinking expensive wine with his wife.

The Red Devils booked their place in the fifith round of the competition by beating the Championship side, thanks to goals from Wayne Rooney, Daley Blind and Juan Mata, making George Thorne's strike for the home side an irrelevance.

And Van Gaal revealed that he was to return home to his significant other to enjoy the victory with a bottle of wine given to him after beating Liverpool in January.“I will go back and my wife is at home because she was in the Netherlands, and the wine is already open,” he told reporters.

“We drink a nice bottle of wine, probably the most expensive wine, because I have received that from Ed Woodward."I always get expensive wine when we beat an opponent of the traditional top six. I don’t want to mention the name because it is a little bit extravagant.”

The Dutchman was also adamant that his side's playing style had not changed for Friday's match, insisting his side enjoyed the same freedom as they always do.

"They didn’t have more freedom, they always have freedom from me," he said.

"You want to write that but don’t ask a rhetorical question. For you, it is obvious ‘more freedom’. No. It is the same philosophy, same training session these past three days
.
"I always give my players freedom, building up attack has more freedom than defending.“I am always saying we have to move the ball more quickly; it is also dependent on the opponent."

 

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Mystery Chinese club prepared to pay €25m for Nani

A mystery Chinese club were prepared to pay a staggering €25 million to Fenerbahce for Nani, according to the Turkish side’s chairman Aziz Yildirim.

The former Manchester United winger joined Fenerbahce in the summer and has rediscovered some of his best form, scoring six goals and setting up four to help Vitor Pereira’s side to the top of the Super Lig table.

Chinese clubs have spent heavily during the transfer window with Gervinho, Ramires and Fredy Guarin moving from heavyweight European sides to Jiangsu Suning, Hebei Fortune and Shanghai Shenuha, respectively.

Nani, 29, has also been the subject of significant interest from an unnamed side but Fenerbahce are unwilling to sell, even though they would stand to make a quick-fire profit on a player who cost just €6m (£4.5m).

"We've received an offer initially €17m for Nani from a Chinese club,” confirmed Yildirim. “On Friday they raised their offer to €20m.

"If we were disposed to sell Nani, they would offer €25m. But we rejected this and told our player that we don't want to sell him.

"The club offered Nani €10m per year but he also didn't want to leave and told us 'I want to win the league title here. If I want to leave we talk again at the end of season'. I would like to thank him for his commitment."

 

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OFFICIAL: Chelsea sign Matt Miazga from New York Red Bulls

Chelsea have completed the signing of defender Matt Miazga from New York Red Bulls.

The 20-year-old centre-back has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract following his move from Major League Soccer.

“I am very happy to sign for Chelsea, a world-famous club with a reputation for major success,” Miazga told Chelsea’s official website.

“I am delighted to be in the Premier League, the best league in the world, and can’t wait to meet my team-mates and get going.

“I am still at the beginning of my career but I believe this is the place to develop and learn from some of the best players in the world.”

Miazga made his debut for the Red Bulls as an 18-year-old and has gone on to become a regular in the side. His form has also been rewarded by Jurgen Klinsmann who handed him his debut for the US national team back in November.

 

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Zidane not interested in Neymar speculation

Zinedine Zidane insists he is not concerned with speculation linking Neymar with a move to Real Madrid and is adamant the rumours do not impact the dressing room.

Reports in Spain have indicated Madrid see Neymar as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been repeatedly linked with a transfer away from the Santiago Bernabeu – with Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain mooted as potential destinations.

Madrid are reported to have met with Neymar before the Ballon d'Or ceremony this month, but the rumours have been firmly rejected by Barca vice-president Jordi Mestre.

Meanwhile, the player himself berated the journalist who reported that he had been in the capital to talk with the club.

Zidane has shown no interest in such rumours, though, insisting he and the team are focused on Sunday's game against Espanyol."I have a squad of 26 players and I'm happy to have them," the Frenchman told reporters. "I'm only focused on those things and the game.

"I don't get mixed up in what is said outside. The rumours don't bother the dressing room, it's normal that the media talk about this, it's always going to happen, just as with the subject of Cristiano, on whether or not he is leaving.
"What we have to do is concentrate on our work."

Gareth Bale, who has not featured since January 17 because of a calf problem, remains on track to return against Granada next weekend.

"Gareth is physically okay, has hasn't suffered from his injuries and the idea is that he'll be with the group next week," Zidane said.By his own extremely high standards, Ronaldo's return of two goals in his last four games represents a disappointing one.

On Ronaldo's form, Zidane said: "Cristiano has not lost any of his ability as a goalscorer. He needed to work like everyone else. I am not worried about him."

 

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Colchester 1-4 Tottenham: Chadli shines as Pochettino's men ease through

Two goals from Nacer Chadli and an assist helped Tottenham to a 4-1 win over Colchester United in Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round clash.

The home side, rock-bottom of League One, lost two players to injury early on after a heavy collision between team-mates and struggled to settle in a first half dominated by Spurs.

Chadli's fine finish gave Mauricio Pochettino's side the lead they deserved and both Erik Lamela and captain Harry Kane should have made the advantage more comfortable by half-time.

Colchester sharpened up after the break, but the killer blow came in the 64th minute when Eric Dier's ambitious effort took a huge deflection before nestling in the far corner.

A header from Chadli made it 3-0 and, though Ben Davies scored an own goal just two minutes later, Tom Carroll struck soon afterwards to ensure the visitors a spot in the fifth round for the first time since 2012.

Colchester were dealt an early blow when Alex Wynter was taken off on a stretcher following a clash of heads with team-mate Tom Eastman, who required stitches for a nasty cut and was substituted a few minutes after returning to the pitch.

Spurs promptly took control of the game after the delay, with Christian Eriksen testing Jake Kean from close range before Erik Lamela clipped the base of the far post with a fine curling effort from 25 yards.

Eriksen rifled just over the crossbar from 20 yards at the end of a fast Spurs break, but the visitors got the breakthrough a minute later from an almost identical position. Lamela prodded the ball to Chadli and the Belgian made the most of time and space to fire right-footed into the far corner.

Spurs should have made it 2-0 before the break when Davies picked out Kane unmarked just six yards out, but his header was straight at Kean, who did well to turn the ball past the post.

Colchester looked far more settled early in the second half and Nabil Bentaleb almost turned a Darren Ambrose shot into his own net, though Chadli should have doubled the lead when he crashed an effort off the crossbar from just six yards after turning into space following Kane's cut-back.

But another stroke of misfortune broke the resilience of the home side and handed Spurs a crucial second goal. Dier was allowed to stride unchallenged into the Colchester half and his hopeful strike from 30 yards looped off Matthew Briggs before bouncing into the far corner past the despairing dive of Kean.

Marvin Sordell spurned a great chance to halve the deficit when played clean through on goal, but he could only find the outside of the upright with just Michel Vorm to beat, and that miss proved costly as Chadli turned home Davies' cross with a delicate header at the near post.

Davies bundled into his own net from after Gavin Massey's shot came flying back off the post, but Carroll calmed any Spurs nerves with a neat finish after ghosting into the six-yard box to meet Chadli's low cross.

 

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Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Ingolstadt: Aubameyang double wins the day

Two late goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were enough for Borussia Dortmund to see off Ingolstadt in the Bundesliga on Saturday, though the match was not without its scares for the home side.

It was Mats Hummels at the centre of a narrow escape for Thomas Tuchel's men when, under pressure from Dario Lezcano, he accidentally played a lobbed backpass over the head of his own goalkeeper and into the net - but, moments later, the goal was disallowed for a foul on Hummels that Ingolstadt argued happened after the ball had left his feet.

Hummels missed a chance to head into the correct net only a minute later but Dortmund finally got the crucial breakthrough, Aubameyang picking up on Lukasz Piszczek's cross to nod home with 13 minutes to go.

The striker then followed up with a second in the closing stages to put away any hopes of a revival for Ingolstadt, firing low into the bottom corner.

Tuchel was without the services of Marco Reus and Ilkay Gundogan due to illness, which saw Shinji Kagawa and Matthias Ginter replace the pair in the Dortmund side.

Ingolstadt were the first to threaten when debutant Lezcano was allowed to raid forward and strike a powerful effort from 25 yards in the 15th minute but Roman Burki made a fine diving stop to his right.

The hosts responded and Sokratis Papastathopoulos should have put his team ahead after latching on to a free-kick from Henrikh Mkhitaryan but he could only send his close-range header over.

Piszczek made a vital intervention to deny Ingolstadt the lead by knocking Lezcano's effort away from the net after the Paraguayan had collected a long ball over the top from Ozcan and flicked his shot past the onrushing Burki.

Dortmund almost broke the deadlock 10 minutes before the break when Aubameyang steered Erik Durm's cross towards the bottom corner. Ozcan made a fine diving stop but the ball bounced into the path of Adrian Ramos, who missed a glorious chance to head his side ahead from six yards by sending his effort over.

Aubameyang almost punished Ingolstadt for their failure to clear a cross from Mkhitaryan as the ball deflected into his path but he failed to register enough power on his volley to beat Ozcan.

Ingolstadt thought that they had taken the lead in the 66th minute when Hummels attempted to play the ball back to Burki but the defender's pass proved to have too much power and beat the goalkeeper. However, referee Winkmann chalked it off for a foul on the German by Lezcano, much to the fury of the Ingolstadt players and coach Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Dortmund held their composure amid the controversy and went ahead when Aubameyang displayed his predatory instincts by drifting between two defenders to guide Piszczek's cross into the net.

Aubameyang then secured the three points for Tuchel's men by sliding a low effort into the bottom corner to ensure Dortmund remain hot on the heels of champions Bayern, who host Hoffenheim on Sunday.

 

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Mata impressed by 'unbelievable' Martial

Juan Mata says he has been impressed by Anthony Martial and feels he has been "unbelievable" since joining Manchester United.

The former Monaco forward, who joined United in a big-money deal in September, provided two assists as United triumphed 3-1 over Derby County in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday.

Martial has scored eight goals in 28 matches for United in all competitions and Mata is confident the Frenchman can continue to improve.

"I've been really impressed with him," Mata told MUTV. "He's a very good player. He has a lot of good things and can beat almost anyone one-on-one."He can do great crosses like we saw when he passed back to me for the goal and I really enjoy playing alongside him, because he's a very good player.

"He has incredible potential. I think he has to keep calm, which I think he is. He has to show what he has shown in almost every game, and for me he is an unbelievable player."

Mata made sure of progression by netting United's third at the iPro Stadium and believes Louis van Gaal's men – often criticised for their lack of attacking ambition this season – are moving in the right direction.

"I think we did what we have to do every game – we were quicker, we created chances and tried to play in a positive way," he added.

"It's not easy to come here and play football, especially in the first half because they pressed a lot, but I think in the first 30 to 35 minutes we were very good."In the second half, we controlled the game, they didn't create almost any chances and we scored two more goals.

"We kept doing what we had to do: quick passing, trying to get forward, playing in the holes, and trying to turn and play forward, and I think we did quite well and that’s why we won.

"When you play for Manchester United there's pressure on every game, you have to win every game and I think we managed the pressure, we played good football, and now we're looking forward to the next game on Tuesday in the Premier League."

 

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Blanc: My future will be revealed soon

Laurent Blanc has says an announcement regarding his future at Paris Saint-Germain will be announced next week.

Blanc took over at the Parc des Princes ahead of the 2013-14 season following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid and has overseen a period of domestic dominance in that time, most notably collecting an unprecedented clean sweep of trophies in French football last term.

The former France international stated back in December that talks had started on a new deal and it appears as though the 50-year-old is set to put pen to paper.

"You will know more about my contract situation soon. Probably next week," he said ahead of PSG's trip to Saint-Etienne.

Blanc also defended misfiring striker Edinson Cavani, who is without a goal in any competition since December 16.

Last month, Blanc confirmed discussions had been held with the Uruguay striker over elements of his behaviour after rumours he was unsettled in the French capital.
But Blanc insists Cavani's attitude is fine and everyone is working hard to help him hit the target.

"I have no problem with speaking about Edi. He is in trouble on the pitch, he has some opportunities to score but not enough," he added. "To me, for us it's important to help him. We will do it but there is a lot of competition. The competition has improved, that's obvious.

"He must be aware of that. In terms of team spirit, there is nothing wrong with Edi on the field. He must manage to score for confidence."His behaviour is better, he understood certain things, we have to see if it is confirmed in the future."

 

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Aston Villa 0-4 Man City: Iheanacho hits hat-trick as visitors cruise into fifth round

Manchester City eased into the fifth round of the FA Cup with victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park with Kelechi Iheanacho hitting a hat-trick and Raheem Sterling completing the scoring.

Manuel Pellegrini named the youngster in his starting line-up and was rewarded almost instantly with Iheanacho breaking the deadlock after just four minutes, slotting home from close range.

The 19-year-old then added his second from the penalty spot after Raheem Sterling was brought down by Leandro Bacuna before sliding home his third on the counter in the second half.

Iheanacho then had a hand in the fourth just minutes later, Sterling slotting home City’s fourth at the far post with Remi Garde's side well-beaten.

With Sergio Aguero dropping to the bench for City as both sides made four changes, Iheanacho took full advantage of his opportunity up-front with an excellent individual display.

Villa came into the match unbeaten in five games and held City to a goalless draw at Villa Park in November, but they offered little resistance in a dreadful performance.

The visitors were ahead inside four minutes when a corner from Fabian Delph, who was given a frosty reception against his former club, was diverted across goal by Bacary Sagna. It looked like Fernando was poised to score, but his close-range header was blocked, allowing Iheanacho to stab home from two yards out.

Leandro Bacuna and Scott Sinclair were off-target with efforts as the hosts looked for a route back into the game, but City swiftly went two up.

Referee Mike Jones instantly pointed to the spot after ruling Bacuna had fouled Sterling as he attempted to get on the end of Jesus Navas' cross. Sterling wanted to take the resulting penalty himself, but it was Iheanacho who coolly stepped up to send Guzan the wrong way.

Bacuna was furious and raised his hands to the head of Sterling in a clash between the pair moments later, with both players booked.

The feud continued as the Villa player then shoved the ex-Liverpool star off the ball, but he avoided a second yellow as Jones gave him a final warning.

Guzan got out quickly to make an important save from Fernandinho after the midfielder had latched onto Nicolas Otamendi's flick-on, with City threatening to run riot.

Villa survived two second-half scares when Sterling had a shot saved by Guzan before the attacker failed to convert from a good headed opportunity a few moments later.

Willy Caballero was forced into a good save from a Carles Gil free-kick at the other end after a rash Otamendi challenge on Jordan Ayew had given the home side an opportunity from just outside the area.

Iheanacho put the result beyond doubt on 74 minutes when a disastrous backpass allowed him to run clean through on goal and hold his nerve to score.

It was four just two minutes later when another loose pass allowed City in again. Fernandinho had a shot saved by Guzan and Iheanacho could not covert from the rebound inside the six-yard box but his acrobatic effort fell into the path of Sterling, who finished from close range.

 

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Barcelona 2-1 Atletico Madrid: Messi & Suarez see off title rivals' NINE men

Barcelona took a large stride towards the title as they came from behind to beat the nine men of Atletico Madrid 2-1 and strengthen their position at the top of the Primera Division table.

The visitors started strongly and took the lead through Koke within the first 10 minutes but Lionel Messi equalised on the half-hour mark by finishing off a sumptuous team move.

Luis Suarez then picked up on a long pass from Dani Alves just eight minutes later, expertly holding up the ball before finishing cleverly through the legs of goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

From there, it got worse for Atleti as Filipe Luis was shown a straight red card for a dreadful tackle on Messi before half-time even arrived and, though Antoine Griezmann was inexplicably denied a goal by Claudio Bravo just after the break, Diego Godin picked up a second yellow midway through the half for an irresponsible challenge on Suarez.

With Atletico thoroughly defanged, Barca probed in search of further goals but were made to settle for what looks like a significant victory in the Spanish title race.

Amid early Atleti pressure, Saul brought an impressive save from the recalled Claudio Bravo inside two minutes before Koke gave the visitors the lead with a calm strike from inside the area. Griezmann failed to get a touch on Saul's cross but Koke was free in the box to volley past Bravo and register his first goal since November.

Messi and Suarez had sights on goal as Barca grew into the game and the former levelled on the half-hour mark as he put the finishing touch on a lovely move down the left involving Jordi Alba and Neymar.

Messi's sixth goal in the last four La Liga games was soon followed by Suarez's 31st of the season in all competitions as the Uruguayan latched on to Alves's precise ball before getting goal-side of Jose Maria Gimenez and finishing coolly past Oblak.

Atletico's plan continued to unravel up to half-time as Filipe Luis was dismissed for a high tackle on Messi that prompted a furious response from Luis Enrique and the Barcelona bench.

Atleti coach Diego Simeone sacrificed Gabi for Jesus Gamez at the break but, with a numerical advantage, Barca took their time in possession, Godin's intervention required to deny Suarez a sight of goal following a precise Messi pass.

In-form Griezmann almost levelled before the hour - Bravo denying the Frenchman's prodded effort with his left foot - as Simeone's men remained determined to cause Barca problems.

But Atleti's traditionally physical approach proved their undoing as another rash challenge from Godin on compatriot Suarez earned him a second yellow card, Messi seeing the subsequent free-kick palmed away by Oblak.

Substitute Arda Turan almost scored against his former club on his birthday 13 minutes from time - sending a shot wide - as Barca's defence of the league, cup and European treble they won last season overcame another hurdle.

 

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Arsenal 2-1 Burnley: Chambers and Sanchez send Gunners through

Goals from Calum Chambers and Alexis Sanchez saw Arsenal progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Burnley.

Sanchez had not featured from the outset since suffering a hamstring injury at Norwich City, but set up one and scored the other either side of Sam Vokes' equaliser as Arsenal made it 14 consecutive victories in this competition.

Arsene Wenger made nine changes from last weekend's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea, including a debut for Mohamed Elneny, but it was the creative brilliance of their talisman that led to a stunning opener for Calum Chambers, whose only other Arsenal goal came in a 3-0 Premier League win over the same opponents in November 2014.

Despite promotion from the Championship being their undoubted priority, Burnley only made two changes and it was one of those, right-back Tendayi Darikwa, who crossed for Vokes to equalise with a header.

Sanchez had proved a constant threat throughout the first half and he was soon in the thick of the action early in the second period with a composed finish from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's delivery.

And there was further good news for Arsenal - who have lifted this trophy in each of the past two seasons - as Tomas Rosicky made his first appearance since May following a knee injury.

Both sides showed attacking intent from the outset, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sanchez firing narrowly off target for Arsenal before Burnley wasted a glorious opening in the 10th minute.

Top scorer Andre Gray outmuscled Laurent Koscielny and bore down on goal, but his attempted chip was held by David Ospina with striker partner Vokes screaming for the ball to be squared for a simple tap-in.Seemingly stung into action by that escape, Arsenal camped themselves on the edge of the Burnley box and took the lead in the 19th minute.

Sanchez found himself surrounded by three defenders, but slipped a cute pass into the path of Chambers, who sent a superb finish beyond Tom Heaton into the far corner with the outside of his right foot.

Arsenal continued to look dangerous every time they went forward, but the visitors levelled on the half-hour mark when Darikwa's centre from the right was met by Vokes' powerful header past Ospina from six yards.

But Wenger's side restored their advantage in the 53rd minute when a fine counter-attack released Oxlade-Chamberlain down the right and his cross was swept home by Sanchez.The holders almost made it 3-1 two minutes later when Koscielny's effort at the back post was headed off the line by Scott Arfield.

Heaton clawed Sanchez's dipping free-kick away from the top corner in the 71st minute as Arsenal dominated, and the Chilean was afforded a resounding reception for his match-winning display when he was replaced by Theo Walcott with 12 minutes remaining.

Walcott had the chance to add gloss to the scoreline in the final minute of injury time when he went clear on goal only to be denied by a sprawling Heaton, but it mattered little as Arsenal's quest for a third straight FA Cup continued.

 

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Liverpool 0-0 West Ham: Reds face replay after bore draw

Liverpool failed to beat West Ham for a third time this season as Jurgen Klopp's much-changed side were held to a goalless draw at Anfield in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Klopp's concerns over fixture congestion for his League Cup finalists have been well documented but, as in the third-round tie against Exeter City, fielding a weakened XI against West Ham contributed towards an extra match being added to their busy schedule.

Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was the only player to remain from Tuesday's League Cup semi-final triumph over Stoke City but Klopp's youthful line-up were not short of fluency in their play – thanks largely to an impressive performance from Cameron Brannagan.

The 19-year-old midfielder showcased an accomplished range of passing and almost broke the deadlock with a stinging strike before the break, after Dimitri Payet speculatively struck the post for West Ham early in the contest.

Under-fire Liverpool striker Christian Benteke again displayed a lack of form and confidence after the break, with the Belgian and Joao Teixeira frustrated by Darren Randolph - the West Ham goalkeeper who started due to regular No.1 Adrian attending the birth of his first child.

Randolph's heroics meant Liverpool were once again unable to find a way past Slaven Bilic's team, who boast 3-0 and 2-0 Premier League wins over them this season ahead of the Upton Park replay.

Payet curled a free-kick against the outside of the far post from the right flank in the 10th minute and Liverpool endured a further scare when Enner Valencia - fresh from his double against Manchester City - misjudged a header from Aaron Creswell's left-wing centre.

Benteke twice attacked Brannagan set plays and found Randolph plunging at his feet when he got on the end of Teixeira's 25th-minute throughball.

Randolph excelled 10 minutes later, impressively tipping Brannagan's fierce drive around the post, while Bilic was forced into a pair of first-half changes - centre-back James Tomkins making way for Joey O'Brien after a clash of heads with Joe Allen before striker Nikica Jelavic replaced Cheikhou Kouyate.

Jelavic and Winston Reid were unable to force home another fine Payet set-piece delivery five minutes after half-time, when Liverpool centre-back Steven Caulker was a touch fortunate not to be punished for handball amid the penalty box scramble.

Liverpool right-back Nathaniel Clyne was enjoying an enterprising second-half when he cut a pass across the box for Allen, who skied wastefully over.

Teixeira forced Randolph to push a powerful shot behind at his near post in the 63rd minute and Benteke horribly miskicked from close range as the hosts cranked up the pressure. Randolph was equal to Teixeira once more when Jordon Ibe coolly picked out his team-mate in the area.

The Republic of Ireland international then heightened Benteke's woes with a sharp double stop in the 74th minute.

Caulker was forced into a last-ditch block to thwart West Ham substitute Michail Antonio three minutes from time, ensuring Klopp must rouse his troops once more in the replay.

 

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Messi & Ronaldo reach 1000 career goals combined

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have reached 1000 career goals combined following the Argentine's strike against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

Messi netted the equaliser in Barcelona's 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday - meaning that he and Ronaldo together have reached a huge milestone.

The pair have been long-time rivals, and while Ronaldo wins the battle in terms of goals, Messi trumps the Real Madrid star in terms of club trophies won, as well as possessing a better goals-per-game ratio.

Messi also won the Ballon d'Or for the fifth time in his career earlier in January, while Ronaldo has won the award three times so far.

 

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Congratzzzzzz for both!​

 

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Wenger: Injury break was good for Alexis

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has suggested that the side could benefit from the hamstring injury that ruled Alexis Sanchez out for two months.

Alexis scored the winning goal in Saturday's 2-1 win over Burnley in the FA Cup fourth round on his first start since he was forced off against Norwich at the end of November.

The Chilean, 27, had been described by Wenger as "exhausted" prior to his injury and the Gunners boss was pleased with his energy levels against Burnley.

"He has had a long rest now," Wenger said. "It’s true that when he got injured you could see signs of fatigue and I think two months’ rest is a good winter break.

"I wasn’t too worried on the fitness front. He came through well and you could see that."

 

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Klopp: Replay not brilliant, but it won't force us to buy

Jurgen Klopp admitted adding another fixture to Liverpool’s already packed schedule doesn’t “feel too brilliant” after Saturday evening's goalless draw with West Ham resulted in an FA Cup replay.

Neither side could score at a freezing Anfield, with the visitors managing just one shot on target. After needing two games to overcome Exeter in the third round, the Reds boss admitted on Friday that he did not want a second match to decide this tie.

However in the aftermath of the stalemate, Klopp said he would look for solutions rather than moan about the extra encounter.

When asked if squeezing another fixture in Liverpool’s calendar would force the club to make a few signings ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline, the 48-year-old joked: “We will buy a team for the replay only.

"Ten players or 11 to face West Ham and then we send them away again. Maybe we can find a few players that can be pleased with this situation. I think it should not be the reason, one game more, [to make a signing]. We have a few games, we’ve had a a few games, I think we played three or four more than West Ham since our last match with them, but it’s like it is.

“We could rest the team that played against Stoke today. That’s good so we’ll have fresh legs against Leicester.

“We tried all, we did all, we gave all and in the end, we have another game. In this moment it doesn’t feel too brilliant, but we will go to West Ham and see our chance to go to the next round and try again.”

Klopp added: “I don’t know where they will find a place for the replay, maybe in the morning when we play in the afternoon. I don’t know, but they will find a moment. We have another game against Everton which they need to find a place for.

“The good things we’ve done until now, going to the next round and going to finals, the only thing we’ve created is more games. That’s the situation, but there’s nothing to moan about. It’s like it is and in the moment, we have to decide who we can send in the game.

“Hopefully a few players come back from injury, so then we can do what we did with Dejan Lovren for example [who started after recovering from a hamstring problem]. It was really important for him to play in a game again.”

 

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Klopp: Kids are doing alright and deserved win

Jurgen Klopp saluted the young members on his Liverpool squad following Saturday night's goalless FA Cup draw with West Ham, but warned it’s important not to place extra pressure on them.

The German boss kept faith with many of the club’s youth prospects, who impressed during both games against Exeter in the third round, and they once again did their manager proud.

Cameron Brannagan, in particular, had an accomplished game and Klopp was quick to highlight how far some of his players have come in a short space of time.
He explained: “They did really well. Kevin Stewart – five weeks ago, he was at Swindon Town and didn’t play too often.

“Brad Smith – a big step in the right direction. That’s really cool. [Sheyi] Ojo came in and again did well, you could see. And Jerome Sinclair.

“There’s a lot of potential, that’s what we said before. That’s very important. It’s not only important to know about it; the players have to show it, but you have to show them that you see their steps.

“That’s what we tried. If they could have played as well as I trust them to, then it would have been a lot better because I know they can do better. But it was good, really good, and I’m pleased. “These boys would have deserved to win tonight but it is like it is. We will have a team for West Ham and maybe it’s not too far away from this team today.”

When asked if the youngsters who acquitted themselves well would be in contention for a Premier League place, he replied: “They are only in our squad because they are an option for us, but we have to decide always if it is the right moment or not. “Young lads, especially, very often have waves in their development – it can be good, or if you bring them in in the wrong moment then it’s not too good for their development.

“We’re always in touch with the Under-21s and a few of them are always in our training. In the last few days we had 27 players in training and made two teams from that, so that’s good. It’s not the moment to talk about who will break through, they have time and that’s the best thing in life.

“They have enough pressure, you don’t have to make that pressure bigger. We will try to push them, try to help them and hopefully all of them will play sometime in the starting line-up.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Hiddink: Beautiful times ahead for Hazard

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has predicted "beautiful times" ahead for Eden Hazard as he nears his comeback from injury.

The reigning Premier League Footballer of the Year has not scored a single goal this campaign and has missed recent games with a hip problem.

But Hiddink has told the Belgium international to focus his efforts on getting fully fit and is convinced he will rediscover his best form once has done so.

"When getting his rhythm back, he’s of big value to Chelsea," the Dutch manager said.

"He’s a very important player to us. A nice player. He has this injury and that’s been an unstable situation for at least two months.

"He is eager to perform, but the physical fitness must be there.

"Hopefully, he is coming back to where he was before. But he needs training and game fitness, and you get that by playing games.

"For the club, beautiful times can come up for him. And on top of that there is the Euros coming up. Everyone who is a ­candidate for being a big player in the upcoming time, and then the Euros, it’s a beautiful period for them."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Valdes delight after 'eight months alone' at Man Utd

Victor Valdes has hit out at Manchester United after a debut win for Standard Liege, suggesting that he suffered eight months "working alone" at Old Trafford.

The former Barcelona goalkeeper completed a loan move to the Belgian club last week and managed to keep a clean sheet on his debut on Saturday with a 2-0 win away to Leuven.

But the former Spain international wasted no time in taking a swipe at his parent club, taking to social media to indicate that he was happy with a first win with Standard, but he also criticised United for making him spend eight months "working alone".

"Happy for first Win for Standard! and for play after 8 months working alone," Valdes' posted on Twitter.

"Thanks to the Standard Supporters."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bartomeu rules out Nolito move to Barcelona

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu says the club's "debt limitation" means there is no chance of Nolito moving to Camp Nou.

Speculation has been rife that the Blaugrana will make a move for the Celta Vigo star but Bartomeu has poured cold water on those reports in an interview with Cadena Ser.

He said: "Recently a lot has been said about the player and the club. Obviously we have a debt limitation and we can do nothing about that."

However, Bartomeu refused rule out arrivals altogether, hinting that there may be some transfer business before the January window closes.

When asked about possible signings this month, he said: "You never know."